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Article: Saddam's "engaging smile".(Document)(1969 report on Saddam Hussein by British ambassador Glencairn Balfour-Paul)(Transcript)
- Article from:
- Middle East Quarterly
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Middle East Forum. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the course of a long political career, Saddam Hussein met many Western diplomats and emissaries. One of the first was Glencairn Balfour-Paul, (1) who as British ambassador to Iraq initiated a meeting with Saddam in December 1969. The Baath had come to power by coup on July 17, 1968; at that time, Saddam had played a minor role. But he enjoyed the confidence of his fellow Tikriti, Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr, the coup leader who became president in the new regime. In November 1969, Bakr named Saddam as vice-chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council.
Following Saddam 's appointment, Balfour-Paul thought it important to take his measure. His dispatch, a gem of British ...